when wizard took this out of standard, i couldn't help but feel that they're trying to make this game less like poker. after all, we all know how it feels to be up against control blue. it becomes "does he have it? it's been three turns since i've been faking it. bah i'm going all in"
Posted By:
phantom.lance
(7/19/2010 10:55:38 PM)
Best counter spell ever. Anyone who's writing comments on how this sucks because "this can get past it" and "this can get past it" can go get themselves doom bladed. Those rules apply to any counter spell. This spell is just the best counter ever because it can counter both creatures and sorceries, instants, enchantments, blah blah blah. And it's only two mana. And the art looks cool. So next time you try and hate on this card, doom blade is coming. 5/5
Posted By:
divine_exodus
(9/11/2010 11:49:51 AM)
@ Sironos: To answer your question..."Are planeswalker abilities regarded as spells that can be countered? Could you counter Chandra's ulti with this?" no. Planeswalker abilities are not spells and can not be countered by this. They are activated abilities that can only be used in main phases on the controlling players turn.
Posted By:
Ethir88
(7/24/2010 10:29:15 AM)
After about 4 years away from MTG I recently unearthed a dusty binder to admire my MTG collection from years past. Flipping through the pages I noticed a quartet of shiny gems that were at one time a staple in blue decks of old. A card that blue planeswalkers had come to love and any opponent had to fear. After a bit of research I was in a state of disbelief... the Counterspell was no longer a Standard legal card. It had been replaced by Cancel, an inflated version of the anti-everything card.
I find this hard to believe considering when I played red cards like Lightning Bolt and Ball Lightning were deemed too powerful and unplayable in T2. Anyone who says Counterspell is bad for the game is just plain wrong. I'm not whining I just wish I could still use my foil Counterspells :D. Anyways 5/5!
Posted By:
rcfoles
(7/13/2010 8:09:04 PM)
Mitch_360 said it- quintessential. It's true, this card defines blue, the same way Lightning Bolt is the flagship card for red, or Terror is for black.
That said, I think I approve of the shift from Counterspell to Cancel. WotC realized that counterspells, as a gameplay element, are not fun. Think about it- when was the last time someone played Counterspell against you and you thought- wow! That was really cool! And even on the blue player's side, playing Counterspell just feels dirty, like you're cheating your opponent out of the fun of playing that Ulamog's Crusher. So WotC nerfed counters- now you have either Cancel, or soft/situational counters like Unified Will. At least now, when you play a Unified Will or a Spell Syphon, you feel like you've earned it, and your opponent can respect you a little more for it.
EDIT:
@Azazyel: Wow, I've never... (see all)
Posted By:
ScissorsLizard
(5/26/2011 11:01:05 PM)
@JFM2796
If they were to reprint this card it would completely obsolete and crush any design space for 1Blue counterspells. Cards like Mana Leak, Negate, Deprive, and Essence Scatter would see no play with just one card to answer any threat in the Standard Metagame. Soft counters require more skill to use: To know what your opponent is likely to have and change them out accordingly. To know whether or not you should counter that Lightning Bolt with your Mana Leak or your Negate depending on the circumstances.
I'll grant, with the current metagame (M12, INN, M13), a reprint of Counterspell would be devastating. We have: Mana Leak, Dissipate, Cancel, Think Twice, Snapcaster Mage and Rewind, which is pretty much a "draw-go" deck right there. But you need those other counterspells to survive the overwhelming threat of things. You don't run just 4 count... (see all)
Posted By:
TokenAZN
(7/17/2012 10:32:37 AM)
Best art for the best card... I'd want this card to be reprinted just so that I could play this version of it...
Posted By:
Volcre
(7/1/2010 6:45:53 AM)
THE blue card :)
5/5
Posted By:
Stefyn
(6/13/2009 10:17:05 PM)
Love this card. What defines blue more then the one the only Counterspell? Absolutely nothing. the artwork looks amazing. Jace 1 Chandra 0
Posted By:
lz17
(2/7/2010 1:14:18 PM)
Sometimes the oldest and simplest cards can be the best and Counterspell is a primary example. Being able to stop anything as early as turn two can complete change the tempo of a game. The two blue mana cost may appear pesky to some, but as long as your playing mono-blue or running duel lands, then there should't be any real objection to this card. Oh, and the art work for this version of Counterspell is epic.
Posted By:
SavageBrain89
(5/23/2009 9:30:18 PM)